Tulane's Darryl Farley is hoping to be healthy this season

In a quiet moment, Tulane sophomore Darryl Farley wondered if he would play healthy again.

Rusty Costanza/The Times-PicayuneDarryl Farley is hoping to come back from injury and compete at Tulane.

As a freshman, a left-foot fracture forced him to hobble with a boot during fall camp. Last season, he dealt with a sports hernia for four months before having surgery in January.

Both ailments made him ponder: Had the agility that made him a four-year letterman as a linebacker and running back at Grady High School in Atlanta vanished?

"I was kind of down, but I still stuck it out, " Farley said. "Now I am feeling fresh and feel nothing can bother me."

Farley -- the Green Wave's 5-foot-11, 228-pound projected starter at weakside linebacker -- is eager to attack the season healthy and hungry. Coaches credit his patience and persistence for allowing him to play with renewed purpose.

Farley had a productive 2009 season. He appeared in all 12 games, including three starts at middle linebacker. He tied for 10th on the team with 31 tackles.

Farley said a sports hernia started to cause him problems in September. He was wrapped before each game, he said, and he didn't consider surgical options until the offseason.

Tulane weakside linebacker

DEPTH CHART

PROBABLE STARTER

NO. PLAYER HT. WT. CL.

34 Darryl Farley 5-11 228 So.

RESERVE

NO. PLAYER HT. WT. CL.

57 Zach Davis 6-0 214 Fr.

"From a symptomatic standpoint, it's very similar to a hip strain or a groin strain, " said Danny Taylor, Tulane's associate athletic trainer. "It's very limiting in the terms of the pain that athletes feel because the nerves can get compressed, and that causes a lot of pain for the athlete when they try to change direction or slow down."

Defensive coordinator Steve Stanard has noticed Farley's improvement. He said Farley looked like "a new guy" during fall camp, which ended with an 85-play scrimmage Saturday, when Farley recorded a sack. Stanard anticipates Farley will provide speed and experience.

"We're really pleased with his retention from last year, " Stanard said. "He was pretty hampered; he has had a real good camp."

Sophomore linebacker Trent Mackey said Farley lets his play mold his reputation. Mackey said Farley is "not an outgoing type" but likes to laugh and crack an occasional joke away from the practice field. When it's time to be serious before a snap, though, Mackey said Farley increases his intensity.

"It's just his personality, " said Mackey, who transferred to Tulane from Duke in spring 2009 and sat out last season because of NCAA rules. "When it's time to turn it up on the field, he turns it up. He lets his play show. Actions speak louder than words. That's the type of guy he is."

Freshman Zach Davis is expected to backup Farley.

Davis, a native from Lawrenceville, Ga., played linebacker, safety and wide receiver at Collins Hill High School. He chose Tulane over Bowling Green, Central Michigan and Kent State, among others.

Since surgery last winter, Farley has come far.

"I just strived, " Farley said. "I wanted to do the best I can to help this team win."

CLASSES BEGIN: Tulane began classes Monday, and the Green Wave held an afternoon practice under muggy conditions.

Coach Bob Toledo said there was an increased emphasis on kick coverage, red-zone execution and place-kicking after studying Saturday's scrimmage.

"The big challenge is that now they're student-athletes, " he said. "They have to go to class. They're thinking about class and tests. That's why they're here -- to be a student."